We write in response to the recent letter (August 4th) in the Mercury that has been widely shared on social media, in which an unnamed correspondent suggested that it is only a matter of time before a pedestrian is killed in a collision with a reckless cyclist on New Walk.

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An FOIA request has been sent to Leicestershire Police to clarify the number of serious injuries on New Walk caused by cyclists. Publicly available data (source: www.crashmap.co.uk) suggests no pedestrians have been seriously injured in cycle collisions in Leicestershire within the last five years.

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While nobody would deny that reckless cycling is dangerous and gives cyclists a bad name, the likelihood of a pedestrian dying in a cycling collision is very slim. However, it is a matter of record that cyclists in Leicester have recently been killed in collisions with motor vehicles on London Road and Regent Road, most recently Sam Boulton, outside the Railway Station.

Critical Mass groups around the world campaign for safer conditions for all road users, especially cyclists, and Leicester Critical Mass has drawn attention to these and other cycling fatalities as part of its rides here in Leicester, and will continue to do so while cyclists continue to die on the city’s roads.

Cyclists gather outside Curve for a previous cycle in memory of Sam Boulton (Image: MATT SHORT / MATT SHORT PHOTOGRAPHY)

In the Mercury’s recent (August 7th) story on the announcement that cycle tracks are being proposed for London Road, the City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby is quoted suggesting cyclists are using New Walk because there is currently no “acceptable safe alternative”.

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With this tacit acknowledgement from Leicester’s leading politician that London Road is not safe for cyclists, isn’t it irresponsible to overstate the danger to pedestrians posed by cyclists who are merely trying to avoid using it?